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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26880091">dornröschenschlaf</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/schnaf/pseuds/schnaf'>schnaf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>im-prompt-u challenge [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, fairytale vibes?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:27:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,365</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26880091</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/schnaf/pseuds/schnaf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On a trip through the city, looking for picturesque places, Phil stumbles across a seemingly enchanted place. But who knows, maybe he's part of the fairytale too.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dan Howell/Phil Lester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>im-prompt-u challenge [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1969618</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Im-PROMPT-u Phandom Creator Challenge 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>dornröschenschlaf</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>yet another story for the im-prompt-u challenge! i realized it's actually a challenge for me. writing daily? it's okay. posting daily? oh that's where things become difficult. keeping short, trying to stay close to 500 words? yEAH WHAT ABOUT NO. anyways, today's prompt is "My life's in shambles, but my plants are thriving.".</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A crack.</p><p>Phil almost jumps, he clings to his camera, his hands shaking, his heart racing. Oh, maybe it was a bad idea to come here after all, maybe he should have stayed outside. But damn, it was just too tempting. The garden - if you can still call it garden, it could even count as jungle - surrounding a little house covered by even more plants... It's so damn beautiful and Phil really wanted to get a better look.</p><p>But will the houseowner accept this explanation?</p><p>Well, there would need to be a houseowner in the first place. The lot doesn't look inhabited, though. That's why he dared to enter after all.</p><p>Phil turns his head in the direction the crack came from. Then, he laughs. A little blackbird hurries away, hopping over single branches, looking just as awkward as Phil felt just a few seconds ago. If this is the only inhabitant of this lot - well, then Phil has nothing to fear, then Phil can keep scouring the lot for the perfect spot for some recordings.</p><p>But all of a sudden, his heart drops.</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>Phil turns around, turns towards the voice. For a short, hopeful moment, he tells himself he just made that up, he's just a bit too jumpy and now that the crack turned out to be a harmless little birdie, his imagination tries to create another source of horror. It only lasts for a few seconds, though - it only lasts until Phil realizes he didn't make anything up. There's a guy right behind him - he obviously snuck up to him while he was busy watching the blackbird.</p><p>After the initial shock, his heart starts to race, trying to catch up. Phil fastens his grip around his camera - phew, that was a close call, he almost let it drop right now. It also gives him something to hold while trying to avoid the angry look the guy shoots at him.</p><p>But before Phil can even begin to defend himself, his expression softens.</p><p>"What are you doing here?" Not only his expression - his voice too. His 'hey!' sounded so harsh - sounded just like you'd approach someone lurking on your property, probably. But there's no trace of hostility in his voice left now.</p><p>Phil relaxes a bit. Maybe this isn't the property owner - or maybe he doesn't mind Phil trampling through his private jungle. In either case, he's okay with Phil being here for the time being so he has nothing to fear. "I was just passing by and - I really liked this place. So I wanted to take a closer look. Do you live here?"</p><p>Now that the shock has worn off, Phil finally gets to take in more about the man.</p><p>He's pretty. He's fucking pretty. A soft face, warm brown eyes, his hair a bit disheveled but not in a scruffy way - he just looks like someone who's hanging out on a property covered in trees, scrubs and other plants. Not just that - he almost looks like a woodland fairy. (But maybe that's only his gay ass speaking.)</p><p>He’s so caught up in his observations that he almost misses the man's response. "Yes. This is my place."</p><p>Again, he sounds friendly, almost gentle even. It helps Phil to finally loosen up.</p><p>"Awesome place." He grins at the guy, the guy grins back at him.</p><p>"Thanks. You should see the house, though." There's a spark in his eyes and Phil - oh shit, he's completely lost. They have only exchanged a few sentences but he’s already fallen for the guy. For his dimple, for his smile, for his soft voice, for his charisma.</p><p>Still, his next question catches Phil off guard. "Wanna come in for a cup of tea?"</p><p>Shady. Super shady. He should probably decline, should probably let the guy know he's leaving anyway, he was on his way back home already, so he won’t disturb him further. You can't just break and enter some guy's property and expect him to treat you to a regular cup of tea upon discovery. No, something's fishy about the invitation.</p><p>Phil's head says no.</p><p>His mouth says yes.</p><p>~*~*~</p><p>Dan - the inhabitant of the little jungle house - was right. His garden was worth a visit but his house is even more so. It's the cosiest place Phil has ever been to and he can’t help but snuggle up on the dining bench, surrounded by pillows, his hands wrapped around a cup of tea. (It's not poisoned, at least from what Phil can tell by now.) There's a fire in a woodstove, the soft crackling noise almost lulls Phil into a deep sleep. The shelves on the walls are crammed with books.</p><p>And there's Dan. He's sat on the other side of the table, holding a cup of tea too, and they're chatting. Phil isn't exactly a fan of small talks, he doesn't really like talking to people he doesn't know, but somehow, it's different with Dan. The words simply flow, there's no need to ponder, no need to feel awkward.</p><p>Dan is the main reason he feels so comfortable here. Sure, the place is really nice, really cosy - but it's Dan who actually makes it special. Just talking to him about nonsense, listening to him talk about nonsense, looking at him, swooning over his looks... Even if Dan had actually planned to poison him or bewitch him, there's no way he could decline.</p><p>It leads Phil to a question he's been wanting to ask since they walked over to the house, though. "So why are you living here all on your own? Are you a witch?"</p><p>Dan snorts, he looks at him incredulously. "A witch? Are you serious?"</p><p>Well, he didn't actually plan to ask that part. It's just - Dan's home reminds him of a witch shed. In the best sense, of course, but still, the impression lingers. So Phil just shrugs it off. "Hey, you've got a wild garden after all."</p><p>Dan's look turns pensive for a moment. "But isn't it Sleeping Beauty, with the overgrown home?"</p><p>Damn, he's cute, he's so, so cute. Instead of making fun of Phil's stupid question, he gives it some serious thought. Phil's heart beats faster as he responds. "Well, if you insist on being called a beauty..."</p><p>Thus, the pensiveness is broken. Dan grins at him, neither accepting or denying his allegation.</p><p>Then, his smile falters and slowly shifts into a frown. "Nah, sorry. It’s not a fairytale. I moved here trying to change my life after I broke up with my boyfriend." He pulls a face, but Phil can't laugh about it. In fact, he can't react at all.</p><p>'Boyfriend'. He said 'boyfriend'. The cute guy sitting across the table had a boyfriend once. The cute guy he fell for right away is into guys.</p><p>Dan keeps on talking regardless. "Well, it didn't help. I'm just hiding away. My life's in shambles, but my plants are thriving."</p><p>"But..." Phil starts talking without even knowing what to say. (Into guys. He's into guys. He -) "You're exaggerating. You don't look like your life's in shambles."</p><p>Dan snorts but this time he doesn't sound amused. "My garden wouldn't look that way if it wasn't."</p><p>"But it looks amazing! It looks enchanted." Phil protests feebly. Then, all of a sudden, he realizes why he's so keen on confronting Dan, on disarming his claims. Even though Dan seems to be perceiving himself that way, Phil doesn't see him as a lost cause. "Okay, you actually may be hiding away. But it doesn't mean your life is ruined."</p><p>Silence. Dan stays quiet and the crackling of the fire becomes almost deafening as it turns into the only source of noise.</p><p>Shit, did he mess up? Was he too intrusive? Phil carefully puts down his cup - his hands have started shaking, he doesn't trust himself with the beverage anymore.</p><p>Then Dan leans forward, resting his arms on the chair, eyeing him up thoughtfully. Before Phil can say anything, before Phil can start apologizing, he smiles.</p><p>"You know what? My life actually was a mess. But maybe it needed to be like that. This way, I could wait here for a prince to rescue me."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>dornröschenschlaf means sleeping beauty slumber. but somehow, the german version sounds better............. oh the joy of compound words ♥</p></blockquote></div></div>
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